The Pig Farmer
Paul Willis stands in the crop fields on the farm where he raises free-range pigs.
To farmer Paul Willis, there is a big difference between raising pigs and “manufacturing protein” — the phrase he uses to refer to the mass-production of pork in hog confinements.
Willis’s goal is to raise the pigs on his farm as naturally as possible. He prides himself on taking care of his animals and the land that feeds them.
Based in Thornton, Iowa, Willis manages a network of more than 600 hog farmers who raise pigs for Niman Ranch Pork Corp., the largest free-range pork producer in the nation. His techniques emphasize humane treatment: providing bedding for the pigs and allowing them access to the outdoors.
At farms like Willis’s, sows are supplied with nesting and, unlike confinement operations, are not kept in farrowing crates while giving birth and nursing. He also raises his hogs without use of antibiotics.
While animal waste poses a threat to Iowa’s environment — the state’s pig population produces almost 50 million tons of it every year — Willis disposes of the waste in a way that does as little harm as possible. He composts manure and bedding for use on fields as fertilizer. He says his free-range methods minimize air pollution and farm-related odors. That’s a difference that you can smell.
— Jamie Rondinelli